WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 387: Ambush (5)
──────
Had the original plan been set for this soon?
Or had they rushed it because of me?
I had spoken with the third of the Five Ghost Demons at Transcendent Manor, and the Martial Alliance had gone into emergency mode the moment they died.
Everything felt as though it had fallen into place far too perfectly.
‘If the Chief Strategist really dies...’
I cut off the countless strands of terrible memories that had begun to surface and focused solely on running.
This wasn't after everything had ended. There was still time to change something.
Besides, I'd placed Dang Seohui at their side, and Yong Soa had latched on like a leech as well.
I couldn't be certain, but the Chief Strategist would not be lost as helplessly as in my previous life.
Whoosh!
As I ran at full speed, fast enough to make my ears ring, the streets gradually became more crowded.
Tap, tap-tap!
Just as I had when leaving Chengdu, I kicked off rooftops and raced ahead.
People turned to stare as the crowds thickened, but I had no time to care.
‘Faster. I need to go faster...’
I pushed the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art to its limit.
Boom!
A rooftop occasionally collapsed beneath my feet, but this wasn't the time to worry about that.
Sure enough.
The closer I got to the Martial Alliance, the more commotion I sensed.
Looking down, I saw countless people running toward the Alliance in panic.
In the middle of it all, someone pointed at the rooftop I was on and shouted.
────!
I passed by too quickly to hear what they said.
Well, it probably wasn't important.
After crossing five buildings, I stepped on a high wall and twisted my body to change direction.
Boom!
The instant I shot forward as though launched by the rebound, an arrow flew in from my blind spot, barely missing me.
Whoosh!
‘Enemies?’
I'd killed three of the Five Ghost Demons, but two still remained.
The third one had brought ten Heaven-Slaying Unit members with them.
It wouldn't have been strange if even more members of the Flame Demon Ghost-Eye Unit were lying in wait.
‘Where are you...!’
Without slowing down, I scanned the area to prepare for the sudden attack.
Then I looked down toward where the arrow had come from and noticed something strange.
“...”
Quite a few people below were chasing after me.
‘They're revealing themselves this openly?’
There were at least twenty of them.
More than thirty people were on the road leading to the Martial Alliance.
“Catch him!”
“He's suspicious!”
“An intruder!!”
Only then did I clearly hear their voices.
They were accusing me as though I were the intruder.
‘Ha, shameless bastards!’
They had nerve, but this was absurdly blatant.
At the same time, I realized they had truly made up their minds.
Still, I couldn't lose my temper here.
‘First, save the Chief Strategist.’
None of the incoming arrows posed any real threat.
I drew up my internal energy again and sped up.
Boom.
They pointed at me even more openly, stirring up the crowd.
────!
───────!
Grinding my teeth at their despicable behavior, I raced toward the Martial Alliance.
I swore I would root them out and make them pay.
Dodging arrows, spearpoints, and concealed weapons flying at me from every direction, I finally reached the Martial Alliance and felt a little relieved.
No matter how capable the Demonic Cult was, surely they couldn't have replaced the martial artists guarding the main gate.
“Please handle the ones behind me!”
I left the Demonic Cult lackeys chasing me to them and was about to leap over the main gate when...
Clang, clang!
The guards drew their swords and sent sword qi flying at me.
‘What the fuck is going on...!’
I barely avoided the sword qi with the Iron Bridge, only for the Heaven-Shaking Eight-Strike Spear Art to come at me with oppressive force.
Still bent backward at the waist, I stretched out my hand and spun backward three times before finally escaping its relentless range.
“Huff...”
What was this? Had even the main gate fallen to the Demonic Cult?
As I raised my head with that question in mind, two gate guards crossed their spears, blocking the entrance.
“Do you know where you are? How dare you barge in!”
“...”
What was this? Before I could even wonder what sort of scheme would make them act this thoroughly...
One of the guards spoke.
“State your identity! Otherwise, we'll assume you have malicious intent and execute you on the spot!”
Something felt off.
Even if this was an act, they were going all out in such a public place...
This went far beyond common sense.
“State your identity!”
After their repeated demand, I hesitated before answering.
“I'm Jin Sowoon, the Martial Arts Academy representative!”
Huh? Why had the atmosphere suddenly changed again?
The moment I introduced myself, their expressions turned slightly blank.
“Jin Sowoon? You mean Black Flame Dragon Jin Sowoon?”
“...Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect.”
“What proof do you have that you're Jin Sowoon?”
Come to think of it, I hadn't brought my Lord’s Token.
Proof... Proof.
“I heard Jin Sowoon carries an unusual sword.”
They seemed to be referring to the glowing portion of the Scarlet Radiance Sword.
“I left it behind because of something urgent.”
“...”
They clearly didn't believe me.
Honestly, I couldn't prove anything even if I thought about it, but still!
“It's true!”
“...”
“If you look at my face, you'll know...”
At that moment, the people who had been chasing me gathered behind me, shouting.
“There he is! That's him!”
“Gate Guards! It's him! We clearly saw him race toward the Martial Alliance at full speed the moment the emergency was raised!”
“He must be one of the culprits...!”
Dozens of people dressed as Alliance members surrounded me.
“Ha...!”
It turned out that both sides thought the other was the culprit.
“What bullshit are you talking about? I came here to save the Chief Strategist!”
When I growled, the Alliance members flinched and stepped back.
One of the gate guards exchanged looks with the others before asking me again.
“Are you really... Black Flame Dragon Jin Sowoon?”
“...I'm really Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect.”
“I see. Your foul temper is just like the rumors say.”
Since when had my personality become a way to verify my identity?
No, putting that aside.
“I see? I nearly died in an ambush just now! Those people almost shot me with arrows!”
“...We'll talk after you look at yourself.”
I hurriedly lowered my head.
‘Ah...’
I'd forgotten that I was completely soaked in blood after fighting one of the Five Ghost Demons and the Heaven-Slaying Unit members.
“I-I'm sorry. I came running because it was urgent.”
“Well... I understand. Still, we can't let you in when your identity hasn't been confirmed ‘officially.’”
“What? This is an extremely urgent situation!”
“The urgent situation is over. The emergency has been lifted, and only the security posture has been strengthened. I don't know what urgent matter you had in mind, Jin Sowoon, but there is no such situation now.”
“...”
The gate guard who had been speaking wrinkled their nose and stepped back.
“Go back, clean yourself up, and bring something that can verify your identity. Then we'll let you in.”
It was fortunate that the emergency had been lifted, but something still felt unsettling.
‘Sniff, ugh... The smell.’
I felt like I'd run around Wuhan looking like a complete madman.
#
I returned to the Hao Sect's Wuhan Branch and washed up as quickly as I could.
After changing into a new martial uniform prepared by the branch chief, I gathered my belongings and hurried back to the gate guard.
“So you really were Black Flame Dragon Jin Sowoon.”
“...”
I started to respond to the guard's mutter after they checked my Lord’s Token and sword, then gave up and stayed quiet.
Understanding what was happening inside the Alliance came first.
“You probably won't be able to enter the inner compound. It's under investigation.”
“Is the Chief Strategist all right?”
“...”
The gate guard pressed their lips together and hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Go to the Mantong Office.”
The Mantong Office...
Even after being attacked by assassins last night, Jegal Somyeong had gone to the Mantong Office instead of somewhere safer?
It was, in a way, a choice that suited them. I headed there.
For the inner compound to be so brightly lit everywhere, it was hard to believe it was the middle of the night. It looked like an entertainment district.
The difference was that no one staggered around drunk.
‘Of course. It would make less sense for this to pass quietly when the Chief Strategist was attacked.’
The Martial Alliance was in complete upheaval.
Not a single person had relaxed their stiff expression.
The people who would lose their positions over this incident probably hadn't stopped breaking out in cold sweat.
Being dismissed would only be the beginning. During the investigation, every mistake they had made until now would be picked apart.
This might even affect several departments or sects.
‘Well, that's none of my concern.’
The knot of anxiety in my chest loosened a little.
The Five Ghost Demons had moved earlier than expected, but the disaster had been prevented.
Things were different from my previous life now.
The Black Alliance had formed as a rival organization to the Martial Alliance, and Dam Ak, its Chief Strategist, was here.
If Jegal Somyeong had died under these circumstances...
‘Dam Ak would've been the first one under suspicion.’
The chaos would have been far greater than the conflict between the Orthodox Society and the White Path Society.
Fighting the Five Ghost Demons had exhausted a great deal of my mental strength, but I couldn't have been more satisfied with the result.
By the time I reached the Mantong Office, two people I had expected were waiting for me.
“Why are you so late?”
Dang Seohui spoke coldly, her cheeks puffed out.
“...”
Yong Soa stood beside her, staring at me with the same unpleasant expression as always.
Seeing them both made a faint smile slip out.
“I had a hard time getting here too, you know.”
Dang Seohui's cheeks showed no sign of deflating, as though she was still upset.
“Do you know how dangerous it was?”
“Senior Dang.”
“Three people even died...”
“Senior Dang. A true chivalrous hero doesn't boast to others about their hardships.”
Dang Seohui opened and closed her lips uncertainly at my words.
“...I wasn't boasting. I was only telling you what happened.”
When I patted her slightly sullen shoulder, she soon looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
Since I didn't know the details of the ambush, I continued asking questions.
“How many people were deployed in total?”
“There were seven in total.”
It seemed Heaven-Slaying Unit members had been deployed here as well.
“Were any of them especially dangerous?”
“Two were very dangerous. They had a vicious disposition rarely seen in the martial world and formidable skill.”
“What methods did they use most often?”
“...”
Dang Seohui, who had answered so easily until then, suddenly hesitated.
“W-well, I don't remember exactly.”
What? Dang Seohui of all people had forgotten something about a fight?
“Ah, it was a very, very urgent situation, so I moved instinctively...”
Now she was openly avoiding my eyes, unable to keep her hands still.
“Senior Dang?”
“...”
Tsk. At this rate, she was going to pick her fingers raw.
The answer came from elsewhere in the end.
From Yong Soa, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation.
“They seemed to rely on concealed weapons and heavy sabers. Their very aura concealed an art that twisted the qi channels.”
One of the traits of the Soul Spirit Demon Art commonly cultivated by the Flame Demon Ghost-Eye Unit.
The two who had been exceptionally strong must have been the remaining two Five Ghost Demons.
‘Looking at him, did this bastard fight both of them alone?’
Working backward through the timing, I realized the battle had ended remarkably quickly, and a chill ran through me.
‘What the hell has this bastard been eating to become this strong?’
I already surpassed Yong Soa in internal energy.
Yet when we'd fought before, all I had felt was that he was a difficult opponent.
As I became lost in thought for a moment...
“Is it my turn now?”
Before I could respond to Yong Soa's cryptic words, a question came flying at me.
“How did you foresee this incident?”
“...”
“And.”
A cold light filled his usually impassive eyes.
“How did you know that Dang Seohui and I would be needed?”
For an instant, a chill pierced deep into my lungs as though the air itself had frozen.
How did I know?
That was true. Anyone who had seen my actions or heard my words even once would have reason to suspect me. Dang Seohui might not, but Yong Soa certainly would.
I nodded readily.
“Why do you think I'll answer?”
Of course, I had no intention of answering.
“...”
“I won't answer.”
“...That's not fair.”
What was he talking about?
This was coming from the bastard who proved with his entire body that the world wasn't fair.
“Yeah, it isn't fair. So what?”
“...”
“If you don't like it, go report me.”
At the tense atmosphere between Yong Soa and me, Dang Seohui looked at us with strangely gray eyes and muttered.
“...You're both childish.”
I lightly ruffled her hair and asked in a casual voice.
“Senior Dang, you've worked hard. Want to go eat some sweets?”
“...”
The dull gray in her eyes was soon replaced by a burst of color.
Dang Seohui fidgeted with her fingers as she thought for a moment, then nodded emphatically.
“The sweets we had last time were delicious.”
“Let's go. I'll buy you enough to make you burst today.”
“They don't sell them in the middle of the night.”
“I bought the entire sweets shop. It'll open specially today.”
“!!!”
I took Dang Seohui's hand, left the Mantong Office, and headed toward the outer compound.
Then.
Step, step.
“...”
Yong Soa followed behind us with a blank expression.
‘Ha, why is that bastard following us? Does he want sweets too, or what?’
I tried not to show my confusion as I kept walking.
Boom!
A massive explosion suddenly erupted inside the Alliance.
I quickly turned my head.
‘The outer compound!’
Fortunately, the explosion had come from the area where the outer compound's halls were gathered.
Just as I began to feel relieved, an ominous premonition suddenly struck me.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
More explosions thundered in every direction.
They were still within the outer compound, but the new explosions came from a different area than the first.
That was where the guest halls were concentrated.
And among the guests in the outer compound...
Dam Ak was there.
“Fuck...”
In that fleeting instant, my thoughts raced.
Then.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Another deafening explosion rang out.
Footnotes:
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